A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system situated in a residential or commercial building has a thermostat associated therewith. The building includes at least a first area (e.g., a room) and a second area and the thermostat is located in the first area. A user sets the thermostat to a desirable temperature, and the thermostat regulates the HVAC system based on the difference between the user-defined temperature and the temperature of the first area as sensed by the thermostat. Even when the user primarily occupies the second area, the thermostat continues to regulate the HVAC system in view of the sensed temperature of the first area notwithstanding that the temperature of the second area is different from the temperature of the first area.